Monthly Archives: March 2017

The Redemption of Charm is the third in a series from Westworth. In a genre I don’t normally read, and rarely enjoy when I do, this book is an excellent piece of writing and a fine demonstration of Westworth’s skill with characters he is clearly well-acquainted with.

Written in third-person, past-tense throughout, Westworth still manages to give each segment and character their distinctiveness, despite maintain the same POV and tense throughout. He accomplishes this by using clever little quirks to his characters’ dialogue and even the sentence structure during exposition. Short, punchy comments and dialogue, loaded with vitriol and intent are perfectly utilised to convey emotion and pace in the narrative. This is a seasoned writer doing what he knows best.

A skilled veteran of the genre, producing a fine contribution that sets the bar for his peers.

Like this:

Anglesey Blue is a pleasant surprise in a genre I rarely read. Written in 3rd-person, past-tense (again, uncommon in the genre), Jones’ narrative flows well and engages the reader effectively. Despite being a little exposition-heavy at times (for my taste) Jones’ excellent dialogue offsets what could’ve been a minor quibble in the chunks of exposition.

The dialogue feels ‘current’ in a way that many crime writer’s don’t always manage and always has purpose, whether in moving the plot forward or in slowly peeling away to reveal more depth to the characters than one might expect. For me this displayed an impressive technique in showing rather than telling in the dialogue sections, and clearly a strength for this writer.

The plotting is tight, and mostly pacey, but where it lacks pace, I sensed important groundwork and character development being laid down for future stories, which is always welcome.

A very solid start to a series. I will definitely pick up the next book.